Monday, September 5, 2011

Dental bleaching, also known as tooth whitening, is a common procedure in general dentistry but most especially in the field of cosmetic dentistry. A child's deciduous teeth
are generally whiter than the adult teeth that follow. As a person ages
the adult teeth often become darker due to changes in the mineral structure of the tooth, as the enamel becomes less porous. Teeth can also become stained by bacterial pigments, foodstuffs and tobacco. Certain antibiotic medications (like tetracycline) can also cause teeth stains or a reduction in the brilliance of the enamel.

There are many methods to whiten teeth:bleaching strips, bleaching pen, bleaching gel, laser bleaching, and natural bleaching. Dentures can also be whitened using denture cleaners
Traditionally, at-home whitening involves applying bleaching gel to the
teeth using thin guard trays. At-home whitening can also be done by
applying small strips that go over the front teeth. Oxidizing agents
such as carbamide peroxide are used to lighten the shade of the tooth. The oxidizing agent penetrates the porosities in the rod-like crystal structure of enamel and oxidizes interprismatic stain deposits; over a period of time, the dentin
layer, lying underneath the enamel, is also bleached. Power bleaching
uses light energy to accelerate the process of bleaching in a dental
office. The effects of bleaching can last for several months, but may
vary depending on the lifestyle of the patient. Factors that decrease
whitening include smoking and the ingestion of dark colored liquids like
coffee, tea and red wine.

Internal staining of dentine can discolor the teeth from inside out.
Internal bleaching can remedy this. If heavy staining or tetracycline
damage is present on a patient's teeth, and whitening is ineffective,
there are other methods of whitening teeth. Bonding, when a thin coating
of composite material is applied to the front of a person's teeth and
then cured with a blue light can be performed to mask the staining. A veneer can also mask tooth discoloration.